Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Gaza: Development Aid

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what public funds have been made available, through the aid budget, to the Gaza Strip in each of the last three years; what safeguards they have put in place to ensure that such funds were not diverted to military purposes by Hamas; and whether such safeguards were applied.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: FCDO delivers its aid in Gaza through trusted partners with a proven record of delivery. Thorough due diligence assessment of all aid donations is carried out and the FCDO ensures partners have procedures in place to manage the main risks of aid diversion from activities it funds, including specific controls to ensure that cash/food assistance goes direct to the intended beneficiaries. Additionally, FCDO humanitarian assistance in the Occupied Palestinian Territories operates with an enhanced sensitivity and existing additional safeguards to protect against any possibility of aid diversion. These safeguards include measures on verification and mapping of downstream partners, non-payment of local taxes and enhanced due diligence processes. The Actual Spend for Occupied Palestinian Territories for the last three financial years:2020/2021 - £79.7 million2021/2022 - £29.8 million2022/2023 - £25.7 million.

The Gambia: Women

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potential plans to repeal the law banning female genital mutilation (FGM) in the Gambia; whether representations have been made to the government of the Gambia to protect women and girls in the country from FGM and sexual violence; what plans they have to ensure the safety and security of human rights defenders and social activists in the Gambia; and what access to resources, if any, they have made available to civil society groups and grassroots organisations working to strengthen women’s and girl’s rights in the Gambia.

Lord Benyon: Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) is a form of violence and a human rights violation. We support a comprehensive approach to eliminating FGM that includes prevention and access to services, supported by the right laws and policies. Some National Assembly members in the Gambia have expressed a desire to repeal the ban on FGM. We have raised this with the Gambian Government, including the Foreign Minister, and with development partners. We provide funding to the UN Joint Programme for the Elimination of FGM, which operates in the Gambia. The programme works with governments to put in place viable national response systems, policies and plans for banning FGM, as well as empowering mothers, students and teachers to champion FGM elimination. We also work with NGOs who support and empower women and girls in the Gambia, including Wassu Gambia Kafo and Biniti Period.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Hydrofluorocarbons: Regulation

Lord Carrington: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the EU’s F gas regulation review; and whether they intend to keep alignment with the EU.

Lord Benyon: We will shortly be providing the House of Lords European Affairs Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland with an updated assessment of the EU’s F-gas changes. F-gas policy is a key contributor to mitigating climate change, and we are reviewing our legislation to support delivery of our ambitious, domestic Net Zero agenda. Any changes we might propose will be focused on the needs and opportunities specific to the GB market.

Food Supply: Climate Change

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of adopting crop diversity to mitigate against climate change crop failure and promote sustainable food production and security.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Our fantastic British farmers are world-leaders and carefully plan their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. It is not Government policy to determine which crops farmers should prioritise to include in their crop rotation. However, we will continue to support farmers, so they can make the right decisions for them and the productivity of their land. Defra’s Genetic Improvement Networks (GINs) on Wheat, Oilseed Rape, Pulses and Vegetable crops aim to improve the main UK crops by identifying genetic traits to improve their productivity, sustainability and resilience. Across the GINs we have already successfully identified genetic traits that have improved resilience to climate change and common pests and diseases, and we are working with breeders to incorporate these traits into elite UK crop varieties. A recent Defra commissioned research project “Review of opportunities for diversifying UK agriculture through investment in underutilised crops” also sought to identify underutilised, underdeveloped and novel crops with potential to be grown successfully in the UK within diversified cropping systems. The report can be located on the Defra Science & Research webpage at the following link: Science Search (defra.gov.uk). Furthermore, UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production and ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Agriculture: Subsidies

The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to permitting farmers transitioning from Basic Payments to Delinked Payments to discount one or more of the years in the reference period as a result of (1) events outside their control, or (2) a mistake; and whether they intend to review and amend the Agriculture (Delinked Payments and Consequential Provisions) (England) Regulations 2023 in this regard.

Lord Douglas-Miller: Delinked payments will be based on the average Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment made to the farmer during the 2020 to 2022 reference period. The Government considers that using an average over three years is fair as any anomalies will be evened out. This takes account of responses to our 2021 consultation on delinked payments. In addition, where a farmer suffered exceptional circumstances which affected their ability to meet the BPS rules in the reference period, they were able to apply at the time under the BPS force majeure rules. In such cases, the Rural Payments Agency may not have applied a reduction to the BPS payment for non-compliance with the rules.

Flood Control

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they havetaken to support communities in becoming more aware of the risks of flooding and developing flood preparation measures.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Environment Agency provides practical information about what people can do before, after and during a flood on GOV.UK. Between April 2022 and March 2023, the Environment Agency sent over 4.7 million messages to the public, partners and the media. These messages informed them of flooding in their area and the flood warning service they can receive. The Environment Agency’s annual Flood Action Campaign launched in November 2023, with Flood Action Week. The campaign encourages people at risk of flooding to focus on what they need to do to prepare for a flood. Signing up to flood alerts forms part of the Environment Agency’s "Prepare Act Survive" message.

Flood Control

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given tocollecting data on communities at risk of flooding with a view to designing a purposeful early warning system.

Lord Douglas-Miller: The Environment Agency provides the Check for flooding service on gov.uk giving information on flood alerts and warnings as well as a 5-day forecast. The Environment Agency uses its flood warning system on gov.uk to directly alert those who have signed up to receive flood warnings when flooding is expected in their area. There are currently around 1.6 million people signed up to receive these warnings. In March 2023 the Government launched Emergency Alerts on gov.uk. The technology allows emergency messages to be broadcast to a defined area. This means any compatible device in or entering that area immediately receives the emergency message. Emergency Alerts are to be used in the most severe emergency situations where there is significant risk to life. The Environment Agency is continuously improving its flood risk data. It is currently developing a new National Flood Risk Assessment (NaFRA2) that will provide a single picture of current and future flood risk from rivers, the sea and surface water, using both existing detailed local information and improved national data. The new risk assessment will be available as open data and will provide risk management authorities, infrastructure providers, insurers, and members of the public with more accessible, richer, and trusted flood risk data and information (such as flood depth and duration of flooding).

Forest Products: Origin Marking

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the need to ban the commercialisation of products derived from deforested areas and certify more strongly the origin of products imported to the UK.

Lord Benyon: The Government recognises the impact of consumption in the UK on the world’s forests. In 2019 we asked an independent taskforce - the Global Resource Initiative (GRI) – to provide the UK Government with specific recommendations on addressing the problem. The GRI submitted its first report in March 2021, and recommended the Government introduce a mandatory due diligence requirement on organisations using ‘forest risk commodities’ – commodities whose production is associated with wide-scale deforestation – in their supply chains. The Government introduced new legislation through the Environment Act to tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. Recent research estimates that around 70% of global tropical deforestation for commercial agriculture between 2013 and 2019 was conducted in violation of national laws. The Government announced further details of our forest risk commodities regulations at COP28 in December. The new law will make it illegal for larger organisations, with a global annual turnover of more than £50 million, to use key forest risk commodities produced on land illegally occupied or used. Initial secondary legislation will focus on four commodities identified as key drivers of deforestation: cattle products (excluding dairy), cocoa, palm oil and soy. Organisations in scope will also be required to undertake a due diligence exercise on their supply chains and to report on this exercise annually. To ensure transparency, information about businesses' due diligence exercises will be published. Businesses in scope that do not comply with these requirements may be subject to fines and other civil sanctions. The secondary legislation required to operationalise the Environment Act provisions will be laid as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service: Victoria Tower Gardens

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government for what reasons the planned construction of a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens has not resulted in the gardens and the Buxton Memorial being placed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register; and whether they will request that they be so placed.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Heritage assets may be added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register for a variety of reasons, such as poor condition, disuse, and, in some cases, the quantifiable risks of development. Historic England has not made an assessment of the potential risks to Victoria Tower Gardens since the Holocaust Memorial Bill is still under consideration. It will continue to monitor the situation and keep its position under regular review.

Telegraph Media Group

Lord Lexden: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to scrutinisethe record and policies of the United Arab Emirates on women’s rights and LGBT rights in the course of the review of the bid by Redbird IMI foracquisition of the Telegraph Media Group (TMG), in view ofthe potential impactof such an acquisition onjournalists and employees at TMG.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport issued a Public Interest Intervention Notice on 30 November 2023 in relation to the anticipated acquisition of the Telegraph Media Group by RedBird IMI on the grounds of the need for accurate presentation of news, and free expression of opinion, in newspapers.The Notice triggers a requirement for the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) to report to the Secretary of State on jurisdictional and competition matters, and for Ofcom to report on the specified media public interest considerations. Ofcom and the CMA have now both launched invitations for public comment, and will report to the Secretary of State on the issues specified in the Notice by midnight on 26 January 2024.Ofcom will carry out such investigations as it considers appropriate. Exactly how it undertakes its role to report to the Secretary of State on the public interest is a matter for Ofcom.

Ministry of Justice

Victims and Prisoners Bill: Wales

Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussionsthey have had with Welsh Ministers and officials of the Welsh Government concerning the implications of the Victims and Prisoners Bill for the devolution settlement.

Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice has engaged closely with the Welsh Government at ministerial and official level throughout the drafting and passage of the Victims and Prisoners Bill to ensure the Bill reflects the current devolution settlement. The legislative consent motion process is engaged for clause 15 and Part 2 of the Bill.A consultation ran on proposals for Part 1 of the Bill from December 2021 to February 2022. Following this consultation, Ministry of Justice officials engaged with Welsh Government officials on the proposals and sought their view on areas which relate to devolved matters. It was agreed between the Ministry of Justice and Welsh Government that clauses 12-14 would not apply to Wales due to existing commissioning arrangements for victim support services, however, clause 15 would apply to Wales.The Bill was published in draft in May 2022 reflecting this position. A letter was sent from the First Minister of Wales to the then Secretary of State in December 2022 regarding the draft Bill stating that a legislative consent motion would be laid when the Bill was introduced confirming the Welsh Government were content with the devolution position in the Bill and no changes would be required. This letter also praised the engagement between the UK Government and Welsh Government on the Bill.Following pre-legislative scrutiny, further measures (Parts 2 and 4) were added to the Bill. The Victims and Prisoners Bill was introduced to Parliament on 29 March 2023. Conversations took place with the Welsh Government, in particular on Part 2 of the Bill (creation of the Independent Public Advocate), to determine how Welsh Ministers would be included in the standing up of an advocate following a major incident in Wales.Following introduction of the Bill, the Welsh Government informed Ministry of Justice officials that their position on devolution had changed and that they would lay a legislative consent memorandum stating that they would no longer consent to clause 15 applying to Wales in the form it was drafted, and that they considered that the clauses pertaining to the Victims’ Code engage the devolution process. This was laid in May 2023.Letters have been exchanged between UK and Welsh Government Ministers and conversations have taken place between officials to seek to agree an updated position on devolution that satisfies both administrations. Following the changes made to Part 2 of the Bill during Commons Report Stage, conversations continue between officials on the application of these clauses to Wales.A final position will be set out during Lords amending stages of the Bill.

Prisoners: Suicide

Lord Harries of Pentregarth: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking to reduce the number of suicides in prison.

Lord Bellamy: Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners. We know that relationships between staff and prisoners plays an important role in preventing self-inflicted deaths in prisons and that is why we have announced additional investment in our workforce. As of 30 September 2023, there were 23,058 Full Time Equivalent (FTE) Band 3-5 prison officers in post, an increase of 1,441 FTE since 30 September 2022. This means staff can provide more support for prisoners and better monitor the risk of harm. In addition to recruiting new officers, we are developing and phasing in a new safety training package for staff. It brings together information on related safety topics, including suicide and self-harm prevention, understanding risks, triggers and protective factors. This training is complemented by a revised version of the case management approach used in prisons to support people at risk of suicide or self-harm. We will continue to fund the Samaritans (£625,000 each year until March 2025) to deliver the Listener scheme where prisoners are trained to provide emotional support to each other. We have also worked with the Samaritans to design an additional support service for prisons in the period following a self-inflicted death, with the aim of reducing the risk of further deaths.

Home Office

People Smuggling: English Channel

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of organised criminal gangs attempting to enable migrants to cross the English Channel illegally have been arrested.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office is committed to tackling organised immigration crime. Methods of irregular entry to the UK can be unsafe, dangerous and leave migrants open to exploitation by organised crime groups. Since the start of the year (01 January 2023), Immigration Enforcement have arrested over 230 persons for people smuggling into the UK. Since January 2023, the Home Office have undertaken over 200 OCG disruption activities, including 21 relating to small boat crossings.

Department of Health and Social Care

Cystic Fibrosis: Drugs

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of access to cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator modulator therapies for people with cystic fibrosis on the ability of people with other respiratory conditions to receive lung transplants.

Lord Markham: Lung transplantation has demonstrated greater survival benefits in general for patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) over other diagnoses warranting transplantation. However, the use of CF transmembrane conductance regulator modulators may further increase median survival. Overall, individual differences still exist and the decision to list a patient at a transplant centre is always down to the patient’s clinical team, based on the patient’s individual circumstances.The selection process should always be fair and transparent and the whole population of potential lung transplant recipients is considered. Treatment including transplant is based both on clinical need and a patient’s capacity to benefit as well as the balance of risk and alternative therapies.As lung transplantation has evolved, recommendations and indications are constantly being updated. The International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation published a consensus document in 2021, for selecting candidates for lung transplantation. A copy of the selection criteria is attached.Lung Candidate Selection Criteria (pdf, 421.0KB)

Dental Services: Sussex

Lord German: To ask His Majesty's Government how many dentists delivered NHS services in Sussex for each year from 2015 to the present.

Lord Markham: The following table shows the number of dentists delivering National Health Service treatment for Sussex Integrated Care Board in each year from 2015/16 onwards:YearNumber of dentists who have performed some NHS treatment2015/161,0802016/171,0722017/181,1162018/191,1162019/201,0502020/219912021/221,0622022/231,030Source: NHS Dental Statistics for England

Respiratory Diseases: Intensive Care

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 15 December 2023 (HL453),whether their planning scenarios specifically include (1) a respiratory pandemic that creates greater demand for critical care than the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) a respiratory pandemic that affects a different demographic, in particular one that disproportionately affects children and babies.

Lord Markham: We cannot perfectly predict the characteristics of a future pandemic or know precisely which groups will be most affected by it. We are therefore strengthening our pandemic preparedness by considering the flexible and scalable response capabilities that can be adapted to any threat that the health and social care system may need to respond to.The National Risk Register 2023 outlines the most serious threats facing the United Kingdom with an updated assessment of likelihood and potential impact. Risk 54 describes the risk from a pandemic and provides a reasonable worst-case scenario (RWCS) for an unmitigated respiratory pandemic, as well variations based on different pathogens with different routes of transmission. A copy of the register is attached.The RWCS assumes that 50% of the UK’s population fall ill during the whole course of the pandemic, with approximately 1.34 million people estimated to require hospital treatment, possibly resulting in up to 840,000 deaths.We continue to review our pandemic planning in response to information and lessons learned from COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks.National Risk Register  (pdf, 2581.5KB)

Primary Care Networks

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the Health Foundation report, Doing more for less?, published on 12 December, that (1) primary care network (PCN) funding is currently not sufficient to cover the additional challenges in areas of high deprivation, and (2) the current PCN contract focuses on addressing inequalities within PCNs, but not between PCNs.

Lord Markham: Reducing health inequalities in health care is a priority for the National Health Service, and general practice and primary care networks (PCNs) have a major role to play in this.Practices are paid for delivering essential and additional services based on the size of a practice’s registered list of patients. This funding accounts for patient sex, age, additional needs from a mortality and morbidity perspective, patient list turnover, care home residents and geographic location, including rurality and area costs.PCNs also receive funding via the Network Contract Direct Enhanced Service, which sets out the requirements of PCNs. One of the core requirements of PCNs is to tackle neighbourhood health inequalities, as detailed in the Tackling Neighbourhood Health Inequalities Supplementary guidance, a copy of which is attached.NHS England is undertaking a review of the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, and outputs will inform the 2024/25 contract.Tackling Neighbourhood Health Inequalities (pdf, 511.9KB)

Respiratory Diseases: Intensive Care

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 15 December 2023 (HL453), why they have decided to abolish the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve in March 2024 when they have not yet completed their preparation for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios.

Lord Markham: The COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024. Until then, the reserve will continue provide a reserve capable of supporting 1,000 ICU beds.

Department for Education

Apprentices

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barranon 12 December 2023 (HL688), how many apprenticeship completions were recorded on the Senior Leadership route in 2022–23.

Baroness Barran: The department publishes apprenticeship achievements (where all parts of the apprenticeship are successfully completed) rather than apprenticeship completions. In the 2022/23 academic year there were 4,020 achievements on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.The department also publishes achievement and retention rates for individual apprenticeship standards within the National Achievement Rate tables. The latest figures cover the 2021/22 academic year. For leavers on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard that left their apprenticeship the 2021/22 academic year, the retention rate was 56.8% (the proportion getting to the end of their apprenticeship, regardless of whether they subsequently passed their apprenticeship), whilst the achievement rate was 56.2% (the proportion getting to the end of their apprenticeship and subsequently passing). The table is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6fe2fb17-4a75-4af4-b7cb-08dbfa51496d.

Apprentices: Taxation

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts at level 6 were for legal, finance and accounting in2021–22 and 2022–23; how many of these apprentices were employedin levy-paying organisations; and how many there were in each region.

Baroness Barran: Level 6 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by apprenticeship service account levy funds.Level 6 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:2021/222022/23960900 Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:2021/222022/23890850 Of which by region:Region2021/222022/23East Midlands3050East of England140130London270300North East3010North West9090South East130120South West9050West Midlands8070Yorkshire and The Humber7050Outside of England and unknown4030  Notes for tables:(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.

Children: Abuse

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, is included as part of the Family Hubs and Start for Life programme for parents on how to speak to their children and awareness of what constitutes verbal abuse.

Baroness Barran: The Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme provides funding for local authorities to provide services that support parents to care for and interact with their children. This includes programmes on parenting, parent-infant relationships, perinatal mental health and the Home Learning Environment. Funding for parenting support should be used for provision of a universal and targeted offer which helps make the transition to parenthood as smooth as possible and which stresses the importance of sensitive and responsive caregiving. All these services are informed by local needs assessment and should consider the wants and needs of different parents and carers.

Children: Abuse

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with the Children's Commissioner for England regarding the verbal abuse of children by adults; and whatplans do they have for measures to tackle such abuse.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the finding by the charity Words Matter that two in five children experience verbal abuse from the adults around them which can cause anxiety, depression, eating disorders, self-harm, substance abuse and suicide; and what steps they are taking in response.

Baroness Barran: Protection from abuse and neglect is a fundamental right for all children. The government’s priority for all vulnerable children is to keep them safe, protect their welfare and put their best interests at the heart of every decision.In the department’s Children in Need statistics release, the department publishes data on factors identified at the end of an assessment by children’s social care services. The statistics release for 2023 is available here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need. Currently, verbal abuse is not defined as a separate category but would fall under emotional abuse. For that reason, the department has not made a specific assessment of the impact of verbal abuse on children, but it is the government’s priority to ensure all children are protected and safe from harm.Government ministers and departmental officials have ongoing, regular engagement with the Children’s Commissioner and her office on a range of issues, including safeguarding children. The department has also offered to meet with the charity Words Matter to discuss their report in more detail so that the department can take forward any appropriate action to mitigate against the effects of verbal abuse on children and young people. Once departmental officials have met with Words Matter, the department will be in a better position to make a detailed assessment.

Cabinet Office

UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to secure an agreement with parties in Northern Ireland regarding trading arrangements between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom, and what assessment they have made of the consequential impact for the United Kingdom as a whole.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has engaged extensively with relevant stakeholders in Northern Ireland and has sought to address the specific concerns of the DUP prior to and during negotiations to facilitate the return of devolved governments. These discussions have focussed, in the main, on strengthening Northern Ireland’s place in the UK Internal Market. As outlined by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on the 19th December, from the Government’s perspective, the talks on all the issues of substance have effectively been concluded. The Government now stands ready to introduce a package of measures that have been worked on together should the DUP reach a decision to proceed.

Dual Nationality

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current estimateof the number of UK dual nationals; whether those estimates include a breakdown of the countries in which they are currently resident; and how many are resident in the other state in which they also hold citizenship.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Rt Hon. the Lord Wallace of SaltaireHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW20 December 2023Dear Lord Wallace,As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Question asking for the current estimate of the number of UK dual nationals; whether those estimates include a breakdown of the countries in which they are currently resident; and how many are resident in the other state in which they also hold citizenship (HL1310).The Office for National Statistics (ONS) conducted the 2021 Census in England and Wales.In order to answer your question, the ONS examined census ‘passports held’ data. Table 1 shows the number of dual passport holders resident in England and Wales.Table 1: Number of dual passport holders resident in England and Wales Dual passport (UK + another passport)E92000001 England1,209,980W92000004 Wales26,343Source: Census 2021 (21 March 2021)For similar data for Northern Ireland and Scotland, please contact the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency [1] (NISRA) and National Records of Scotland [2] (NRS) respectively.As the Census collected data only from people currently resident in England and Wales at the time of collection, the ONS have no data identifying dual passport holding citizens residing outside England and Wales. This means we are unable to answer the second and third aspects of your question.As the ONS continues its programme of transforming population and migration statistics, we will explore how to provide additional detail to meet user needs. This will include the possibility of obtaining an estimate of dual citizenship using administrative data as part of that programme.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.nisra.gov.uk/[2] https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/ UK Statistics Authority  (pdf, 113.6KB)

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service: Victoria Tower Gardens

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government what response they made to the request by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee that the plan to build a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens on the Westminster World Heritage site be abandoned; and what discussions they had with the World Heritage Committee at its meeting in 2023 about that matter.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government noted that the independent planning inspector concluded, following an extensive public inquiry in 2020, that “…the proposed UKHMLC would not result in compromise to the Outstanding Universal Value of the World Heritage Site because it does not harm it or its setting, thus conserving it”. DCMS, acting as State Party to the World Heritage Convention, will continue to keep UNESCO updated.

Department for Business and Trade

Companies: Regulation

Lord Cruddas: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they provide to UK businesses so that, in the process of meeting their environmental, social and governance obligations, they are still able to meet their core business objectives.

Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government aims to ensure any reporting obligations for companies are proportionate; with benefits that outweigh their costs. This includes reporting on environmental, social and governance matters. The Government is undertaking a review of non-financial reporting with a view to simplifying reporting requirements and reducing unnecessary burdens. It will also ensure that businesses continue to provide necessary transparency on environmental, social and governance matters to investors and other stakeholders.

Companies: Regulation

Lord Cruddas: To ask His Majesty's Government what analysis they havemade of the advantages and disadvantages of environmental, social and governance obligations on UK companies.

Lord Offord of Garvel: Reporting on environmental, social and governance matters provides transparency to investors and other stakeholders, improving investment decisions. The Government believes that a mix of voluntary and mandatory reporting provides the right balance between transparency and reducing burdens on companies. The Government supports the work of the International Sustainability Standards Board, which aims to align sustainability reporting globally, enabling investors to effectively compare investment decisions across markets. The Government is currently undertaking a Review of Non-Financial Reporting in order to reduce business burdens and will shortly consult on the next steps on the review.